Difficulty: Intermediate
Australia
Adding his own inimitable style, Nick Cave’s haunting cover of the Marc Bolan song “Cosmic Dancer” poses existential questions and seems to probe each word for deeper meaning.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
The movie Barbie from writer/director Greta Gerwig stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken. Barbie Land is a perfect place to be perfect and have fun, unless you have a full-on existential crisis.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
Gaby Moreno's plaintive voice laments the loneliness and regret of lost love in this soulful live version of “O, Me” from her album Illusion. "O" is an old-fashioned spelling of "Oh," and is often found in poems and songs.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
Talk show host Seth Meyers delivers a comedic monologue based on the biggest stories from that week’s news on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Difficulty: Intermediate
United Kingdom
Elton John’s hit song “Candle in the Wind” commemorates the sad demise of Hollywood superstar Marilyn Monroe, who became world-famous for playing “blonde bombshell” characters and was seen as a sex symbol, though she was never quite prepared for such fame and overwhelming media attention. Struggling with mental health, she died at thirty-six from a drug overdose.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
Kirk tries to literally slap Spock into helping him save the ship, but Spock, infected with the virus, can only lament about spending a whole lifetime learning to hide his feelings. Suddenly, Kirk also seems to be acting strangely.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Jamaica, USA
Do we live within bubbles of our own complacent conformity? Are we slaves to a hypnotic rhythm of life that prevents us from challenging ourselves and facing the issues of the world around us? American pop star Katy Perry and Jamaican reggae star Skip Marley ask questions and deliver a political message in a dancehall pop song.
Difficulty: Intermediate
United Kingdom
This live version of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” was recorded in 1968 for The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, a concert filmed in a circus tent that brought together some of the biggest stars of the era, including John Lennon, Eric Clapton, and The Who. The Rolling Stones didn’t release the film at the time—many felt they had been upstaged by some of the other acts!
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
Rap artists the Black Eyed Peas team up with singer Shakira and DJ David Guetta for “Don’t You Worry," a song that encourages us to aim for the stars and not be held back by worries or doubts.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
Tom Hanks stars as Otto in this movie about a grumpy widower who spends his life angry with anyone and everyone he meets. But when new neighbors move in, he’s forced to be a kinder, more helpful man whose heart might finally be about to soften.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
American singer-songwriter Phillip Phillips sang this song of reassurance and commitment when he won the eleventh season of the singing competition, American Idol.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
This bizarre, satirical film from Calvin Communications satirizes a typical approach to industrial promotional films, showing how the idea of the "American Dream" is utilized to sell products.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
We are repeatedly invited to imagine our own company or product name inserted in a film parodying generic advertising films and their efforts to play on and profit from our dreams and aspirations.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
Peter Parker’s life hasn't been the same since the world found out he's Spider-Man. Now he approaches an old friend whose powers might help him to change the past and erase this knowledge from the collective memory. But is this really what Peter wants?
Difficulty: Intermediate
United Kingdom
In this beautiful live version of “Closest Thing to Crazy,” Katie Melua questions how she ever came to feel the way she does about the one she loves. The song, written by English singer-songwriter, Mike Batt, was Katie’s debut single from her first album Call Off the Search.
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